Interactive computer simulation systems are used to train personnel on complex and/or risky tasks. In some training contexts, visual information is complemented with heat information emitted by simulated elements. Heat sensors (e.g., a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) sensors and/or night-vision devices) are provided to display images conveying the heat information. Of course, ideally, a perfect model of heat dissipation would be used to convey the heat information during an interactive computer simulation. However, the interactive computer simulation needs to be considered plausible for its training purposes (e.g., real-time or quasi real-time processing), which imposes constraints that limit the number of calculations performed and the amount of data treated in relation to heat dissipation. Yet, current methods of conveying the heat information are not perceived as plausible enough from the perspective of the trainee.
The present invention at least partly addresses this shortcoming by improving rendering of heat information (e.g., visually representing simulated heat-related data) during an interactive computer simulation while considering limits on capabilities on computer systems supporting the interactive computer simulation.